During the basketball season, Jasmine Moser played a big defensive role for the Ankeny girls’ basketball squad, tying for the team lead in blocked shots with eight.
Now, she’s playing an even bigger defensive role for the Ankeny girls’ soccer team.
The junior goalkeeper made nine saves on Tuesday–three of them during a shootout–and the fourth-ranked Hawkettes posted a 1-0 victory at No. 5 Waukee Northwest in a CIML Iowa Conference showdown.
“It feels amazing, oh my God,” said Moser. “We practice PKs all the time. I’ve pretty much got my whole team memorized, so at this point it’s just watching film, keeping track of the teams and where they spot. I’m pretty confident with them now.”
Ankeny won the shootout by a 3-1 margin. It was the Hawkettes’ first shootout of the season.
“I had faith in our whole entire team,” Moser said. “Since we practice it every day, I knew they could do it.”
Both teams missed their first two attempts. Kennedy Macke and Camryn Dietz were unable to convert for Ankeny, but each time Moser followed with a save.
“I know two of our girls missed, but Kennedy never misses in practice and Cam–a freshman–buries every single one,” said Ankeny coach Simon Brown. “I spoke to her at the end and I was like, ‘We go to PKs again I’m still going to put (you) up, because we pick the top five in practice that go.’ I believe in those guys.”
Brooke Harrington then converted Ankeny’s third kick to put the Hawkettes ahead.
“You’ve played this long and you don’t want a mistake to happen,” Harrington said. “But you just got to follow through with your plan and where you got to go. I knew my spot I felt comfortable with so I just went for it.”
After the Wolves converted their third kick to tie it, Alli Macke scored on Ankeny’s next attempt to make it 2-1. Moser then followed with another save.
“I kind of read the person,” Moser said. “You can kind of tell with their eyes or their hips, either way. But it’s kind of a guessing game. I trust my gut, and it always works.”
Maddie Foels then delivered the game-winning goal for Ankeny, which improved to 4-1 in the conference and 14-1 overall. Northwest’s records dropped to 3-1 and 11-2.
“It feels really good,” Harrington said. “We play all those minutes and then finally get the end result. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Both teams struggled to create scoring chances on a hot and humid night. Each squad attempted 10 shots.
Goalkeeper Victoria Spahn had eight saves for the Wolves.
“I think it was an even game if I’m being honest, and just me being critical I think Northwest probably (had the edge),” Brown said. “But we’re tough to break down. I think that’s 15 games now (and) 14 games we haven’t given up a goal.”
The Hawkettes were coming off a 1-0 win at No. 14 Johnston on Friday, when Macke scored the game’s only goal with 2 seconds left in the second overtime.
That contest, followed by Tuesday’s intense heat, took a toll on the Ankeny players.
“I personally was cramping up a little bit, and our team was tired,” Moser said. “Having to play two 40-minute halves, two overtimes and then go to PKs, it’s a pretty tough strain on anybody.”
But Moser came up big when the Hawkettes needed her the most.
“(She was) massive,” Brown said. “With us taking them every day, Jasmine has to face 20 PKs every day. She’s getting to read different movements of the hips and stepping up to make those big saves and keep us in the game. All their shots were on target, and she was close to getting a fourth one as well so it could have been over a little bit earlier. But like I said, she gets so many reps that she’s going to make those big saves.”
Ankeny will close out the regular season on Friday by hosting an Iowa Conference game against Ames (4-8).